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J. G.-STEVENS. MACHINE FOR FORMING TUBES, HOLLOW ARTICLES, am. No. 553,573.

Patented Jan. 28, 1896.

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MACHINE FOR FORMINGTUBES, HOLLOW ARTICLES, &c.

No. 553,573 Patented Jan..28, 1896.

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JOHN C. STEVENS, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICU", ASSIGNOR TO THE POPE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE AND PORTLAND, MAINE.

MACHINE F ORFORMING TUBES, HOLLOW ARTICLES, 800.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 553,573, dated January 28, 1896. Application filed April 23, 1895- Serial 110. 546,865. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, JOHN C. STEVENS, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Hartford, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Forming Tubes, Hollow Articles, and other Objects, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

The object of this invention is to produce a mechanism which shall be capable of bringing forward into a working position a blank or body or other object to be operated upon,

holding it from further movement forward and properly supporting it While it is formed or treated or subjected to the required operation, and then carrying it forward and de livering it.

The mechanism is intended to facilitate the manufacture or forming or finishing of articles which usually have been presented by the operator or attendant one by one to the devices for treating them and have therefore required a considerable expenditure of time.

As the explanation of the invention proceeds it will be apparent that it is applicable to a great variety of uses; but for the sake of enabling the principle of the invention to be 0 clearly understood without cumbering this specification with additional illustrations I have chosen as an embodiment of the invention for detailed description herein a mechanism which is particularly adapted for the 5 formation of short tubes upon mandrels. It

will be observed'that in the case of this particular mechanism the mandrel is the body or object to be operated upon, and it will be understood,therefore, that the mandrel whenever referred to hereinafter is to be taken as representing a general class of objects which may be operatedupon.

I'Ieretofore the manufacture of such tubes, formed by rolling or winding a sheet or sheets of material upon itself, has been conducted mainly by hand-that is to say, the workman using a mandrel or a die and other hand-tools or appliances has himself performed the various operations necessary to complete the tube. The manufacture thus conducted has necessa ily been slow and correspondingly expensive, and it is therefore the object of this invention to produce a machine which should be capable of performing the various operations heretofore performed by hand and of turning out a tube or tubes having the same perfection of structure as those heretofore made by hand. The mechanism which has been devised is particularly adapted for the manufacture of what are known as hosepipe tires for bicycles and other vehicles and are usually composed of successive layers or plies of sheet-rubber and canvas, the ends of such tubes being consequently united to form the completed tire. It will be understood, however, that the use of the mechanism herein described is not limited to the manufac ture of articles of this or of any particular class, and it will be further understood that the several features which are herein shown and described as composing a complete mechanism need not of necessity be employed together, although in the machine shown they co-operat-e in the production of a unitary result. It will also be evident that other devices, particularly such as might be concerned with the feeding of the material or with the further treatment of the tubes when formed, might be combined in a single machine with those shown.

In the machine which has been chosen for illustration of the principles of the invention provision is made for receiving and feeding forward the mandrels upon which the tubes are formed for insuring the proper attachnient of the edge of each new sheet of material to the mandrel upon which it is wound, for the proper winding of the sheet upon the mandrel, for the longitudinal rolling of the soft tube upon the mandrel for the purpose of smoothing and compacting it and of forcing out any bubbles of air that might be inclosed between the plies or layers, and for releasing each mandrel from the carrier. Certain preferred forms of mechanical devices for en- 5 abling these several operations to be performed are hereinafter shown and described in detail; but it is not intended thereby in anywise to limit the invention to any particular form or construction.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown the mechanism referred to as illustrating a practical embodiment of the invention and hereinafter more particularly referred to, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the machine referred to. Fig. 2 is a partial front elevation thereof on a larger scale than that of Fig. 1., parts being broken out to save space on the drawings. Fig. 8 is a rear elevation of the same also on a larger scale and with parts broken out to save space. Fig. 4 is a plan view, parts being broken out to save space and with some of the mandrels being removed from the carrier in order to show parts beneath. Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation of the right'hand end of the machine as seen in Fig. 1, the plane of section being indicated by the line 5 5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation of the left-hand end of the machine, the plane of section being indicated by the line 6 (3 of Fig. 2. Figs. 7 and S are detail views in longitudinal section, showing a portion of a mandrel and of the devices for rotating and supporting the same and for exhausting the air therefrom. Fig. 9 is a detail view of a cam employed for a purpose to be hereinafter referred to. Fig. 10 is a detail viewin longitudinaLseetion and partly broken out, showing the drum hereinafter referred to and means for rotating the same and for permitting vertical movement thereof. Fig. 11 is a detail View, partly in elevation and partly in longitudinal section, illustrating the construction of the clutch for coupling or uncoupling the driving mechanism. Fig. 12 is an edge view of the key employed in the clutch shown in Fig. 11. Fig. 13 is a detail view, partly in elevation and partly in longitudinal section, with parts broken away to save space, illustrating the connection of each mandrel with the means for rotating and supporting it. Fig. 14 is a side elevation of a portion of one of the carri.erchains. Fig. 15 is an end view thereof. Fig. 16 is a detail view, partly in transverse section, illustrating the means forpermit-ting vertical movement of the winding-drum, the plane of section being indicated by the line 16 16 of Fig. 10. Fig. 17 isa detail view illustrating the relation of the longitudinal rolling and smoothing devices to a mandrel and to the drum. Figs. 18 and 19 are detail views, respectively, in plan and in longitudinal vertical section, showing a portion of the devices for rotating each mandrel and for effecting a release of the mandrel from the rotating devices.

For the manufacture of tubes of the character referred to-namely, tubes for pneumatic tiresmandrels are employed for the formation of the tubes and are preferably of the construction indicated at A in Figs. 7, 8, and 13, the mandrels being shown in position in the machine in other figures of the draw ings. As represented, each mandrel is made of a shell or tube (1, preferably of steel of considerable thickness, and having one end hermetically closed by a plug a, while the other end is closed by a plug a having an axial bore a small perforations a being formed through the shell or wall of the mandrel for a purpose to be referred to hereinafter.

Near each end of the mandrel may be formed an annular groove (0'' for engagement with the carrier hereinafter described, and one end is also formed for engagement with means for rotating the mandrel, having, as shown, teeth a to form one member of a clutch, the other member of which is carried by the driving-spindle, while each end is counterbored to receive a centering-pin 6.

Various means might be employed for carrying the mandrels through the machine and for supporting them while the several opera-' tions of forming the tube are performed. The means shown comprise two endless chains B B, (see particularly Figs. 5, 6, 11, and 15,) carried by sprocket-wheels b b and having forks Z) I), which are adapted to engage the mandrels A A in the grooves c a. The sprocket-wheels lg Z) are secured in pairs to shafts 12 D which are mounted in suitable bearings supported by arms 0 c from the bedplate C of the machine. The bearing-blocks b of one of these shafts are made movable in their supports (see Figs. 5 and 6) and are engaged by adj usting-screws b I)" for the purpose of tightening the carrying-chains B B when necessary. The mandrels are additionally supported during the formation of the tubes thereon by rails If U, which extend from front to rear of the machine and are preferably turned up at their front ends, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, to prevent the aecidental displacement of the mandrels from the forks b b of the chains 13 B as they pass around the front sprocket, the mandrels being preferably fed to the chain at the rear side of the machine.

Itis desi.rablethat a step-by step movement should be given to the mandrel'carrier and for this purpose one shaft N, as shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5, may be provided with a ratchet'wheel Z), to which motion is imparted by a pawl b the latter being carried by alever 1), which is mounted upon the frame of the machine and is actuated by a rod I) from a cam Z1 on the intermediate shaft D.

To effect the wrapping or winding of the sheet of material upon the mandrels means are provided for rotating each mandrel in turn upon its own axis. As represented in Figs. 2, 7, 8, and 13, two spindles E E are supported in alignment on opposite sides of the carrier at the point where the working mandrel is to receive the sheet of material. Each spindle has a centering-pin e to enter the counterbore in the corresponding end of the mandrel brought in alignment therewith, and one spindle, as E, is preferably provided with teeth 6 to engage the teeth a on the corresponding end of the working mandrel and thereby to effect a positive engagement therewith. The spindle E is fixed in a short shaft eiwhich is permitted to move longitudinally in a sleeve e but is compelled to rotate with said sleeve by a key (2' carried by the sleeve and entering a longitudinal groove 6 in the shaft. The sleeve e is mounted in fixed bearings and is driven by a pinion e and gear 6 from the intermediate shaft D. The other spindle E may rotate freely in a short shaft 6 which is permitted to have longitudinal movement in its bearing 6 but is held from rotation therein by a key 6 carried by the bearing and entering a longitudinal groove 6 in the shaft 6 The spindle Ehas an axial bore 6 to communicate with the axial bore a in the plug a and with the axial bore 6 of the shaft 6 The bore 6 has a lateral port 6 which is adapted to communicate, when the parts are in the position represented in Fig. 8, with the pipe (2 which is connected to any suitable means for producing a partial vacuum, such as an exhaustfan, the object being to effect a firm attachment of the leading edge of the sheet of material to the working mandrel while the sheet is being wound thereon and to permit such attachment to be broken as soon as the tube has been formed and the mandrel disengaged from the means for rotating it, whereby the mandrel may be readily withdrawn from the tube when discharged from the machine. In order to insure a tight joint between the end of the mandrel and the head of the spindle E the latter may be faced with a suitable packing e as indicated in Figs. '7, 8, and 13.

To effect the engagement of the spindles E l with the mandrel, the two shafts e e are given longitudinal movement at the proper time by cams F F, (see Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4,) which are mounted respectively on the shafts D and D at opposite sides of the machine. The cam F is engaged by a pin f on the shaft e The shaft 6 as clearly shown in Figs. 18 and 19, is coupled by a collar e to a crosshead f, sliding in ways f and having a pin f to enter the groove of the cam F. Synchronous movement of the shafts D and D is assured by a counter-shaft D having gears d d meshing with like gears d d on the respective shafts D and D, the gear d having the cam-groove 1) formed therein for convenience.

It is highly desirable that the sheet of ma terial from which the tube is to be formed should be kept smooth and free from wrinkles while being applied to the mandrel, and it is obvious that various means might be adapted for the purpose. In the machine shown in the drawings it is preferred to use for this purpose a drum G, which presents a sheet to the mandrel, supports it, and holds it smooth while it is being wound and also presses it firmly against the mandrel. This drum is preferably driven positively at the same peripheral speed as that of the mandrel, and it may be covered with a sheet of felt G" or similar soft and yielding material, and outside of that with some smooth and non-adhesive material G, particularly when, as in the machine represented,the material to be used is soft rubber in sheets or fabric treated with rubber.

The thickness of the tube being formed varies as the successive layers of material are added, and it may also vary with different thicknesses of the material itself, and it therefore becomes desirable to support the drum so that it may yield bodily in a vertical line. To this end the bearing-blocks g 9 (see particularly Figs. 16 and 17) in which it is mounted to rotate freely (preferably in ball-bearings, as shown) are supported to move vertically in guides g g and are nominally pressed upward by levers g g and counterweights g 9 The drum G, as stated above, is driven positively, being coupled to the intermediate shafts D D, between which it is placed. These shafts should rotate in fixed bearings, and to allow of the vertical displacement of the drum some form of universal coupling should be adopted, as that shown in Figs. 2, 3, 10 and 16, in which the ends of the drum-shaft g are squared, as indicated at g in Fig. 16, and enter openings 9 oblong in cross-section, in the hubs of yokes g being held therein by pins 9 upon which the ends of the shaft are free to slide to a limited extent, the ends of the shaft also having a sufficiently loose fit in the yokes and on the pins to permit the yokes to swing to a limited extent with respect to the shaft. The yokes g are pivotally connected with the intermediate shafts D D by pins g 9 and as the yokes embrace the squared ends of the respective shafts loosely and fit loosely on the pins 9 g the yokes, and therefore the drum, are permitted to move with respect to the shafts D D in the line of the pins g g", the line of direction of the pins 9 g and therefore of the movement of the yokes thereon being at right angles to the direction of movement of the drumshaft with respect to the yokes. It will be readily understood that one of these devices will allow vertical movement of the drum when the latter is in the position shown in the drawings and that the other device will allow vertical movement when the drum is in the position assumed after it has rotated ninety degrees from the position shown. For any intermediate position in any quadrant the required vertical movement is a resultant of the combination and co-operation of the two devices, the freedom of the yokes to swing permitting the required adjustment without binding.

The mechanism thus far described provides for the proper feeding and support of the mandrels and for the winding smoothly upon each mandrel, in succession, of the sheet or sheets of material of which the tube is composed. The mandrels might be removed from the machine after the winding of the material thereon and the tubes be treated elsewhere for the purpose of smoothing and com pacting them and expelling the air therefrom but the further treatment of the tubes is preferably conducted in the same machine, whereby the tubes are delivered in readiness to receive an additional layer of material or for the completion of the tire by uniting the ends of each tube and finishing them in a well-known manner. The devices which are shown as adapted for this purpose will now be described.

A frame II, Figs. 3, 4c, 5 and 6, provided with carrying-wheels h h, is arranged to be reciprocated above the mandrels as they travel through the machine on the ways or rails b 11", the frame being conveniently supported by horizontal rods or rails 7b 71 which are preferably disposed between the upper and lower members of the carrying-chain and are preferably double or otherwise formed to secure the necessary stiffness. The rail h is supported in a fixed position above the bedplate of the machine by brackets c Figs. and 6; but the rail 7& is so supported as to have capacity for vertical movement, as more fully described hereinafter. From the forward part of frame H projects a supplementary frame or a series of bracket-arms 7L3, Fig. 17, supporting a series of housings h 71 in each of which is mounted with its axis transverse to the axis of the mandrel below it a smoothing and pressing roller h, which has a concave working face to conform substantially to the curvature of the mandrels. Each roller its is preferably mounted in vertically-moving blocks h, Fig. 3, which are pressed downward by springs, not shown,) so that the rollers may accommodate themselves somewhat to the varying thickness and inequalities of the material used.

The rollers 7'05 71/5 should be raised bodily to permit movement of each mandrel in succession to and from position beneath them and at the proper moment should be lowered upon the mandrel which is in position beneath them. As before stated, the rail 7L is fixed and constitutes a fulcrum upon which the roller-frame may tilt. The preponderance of the frame is to the rear of the rail h, and consequently in the normal position of the frame the rollers 7&5 72,5 are raised clear of the path of the mandrels and they are moved downward upon each mandrel in succession when the rear of the frame is raised. The rail 7L2 is therefore made vertically movable, being carried by two rods 71. which are ver tically movable in guides 7L erected on the bed-plate, as shown in Figs. 3, 5 and 6. These rods are beveled at their lower ends and are arranged to be lifted by cams 7L on a bar 71 (see Figs. 3 and 4,) which is mounted to slide longitudinally 011 suitable guides on the bedplate and is arranged to be moved at the proper moment by any suitable device, such as the bell-crank h and red 71 which has a pin 7t engaging the cam-groove h on the face of the cam-disk on the intermediate shaft D. (See Figs. 3, 4 and 9.)

The roller-carrying frame may be reciprocated by any suitable means-such as the rod 7L crank 7L", and belt-pulley h the latter being represented as adapted to be driven independently of the rest of the machine.

Motion is imparted to the entire machine, except as just stated, by means of a short driving-shaft K having a belt-pulley or other driving-wheel 7c and a worm 70 adapted to engage and drive a worm-wheel 75 The latter (see Figs. 2, 4, 6, 11, and 12) is fixed on a sleeve 70', which is mounted loosely on the intermediate shaft D and has in its end one or more recesses adapted to be engaged by a key 70 which slides in a keyway it formed in a sleeve k fixed upon the shaft D. The key 70? is pressed forward normally for engagement with the sleeve 70 by a spring 70 and has in the exposed portion of its outer edge an obliquely-disposed slot is. A bar 70 having its edge tapered to form a wedge or cam is pivoted at a suitable point below the shaft D and is held normally upward by a spring is, so that its edge may enter the slot 70 as it is presented in the revolution of the key with the shaft, and thereby effect the with drawal of the key 71 from the recess 7; and the consequent disengagement of the wormwheel k from the shaft D. The bar is adapted to be drawn down and held out of the path of the key 705 by a treadle 7& and a connecting-wire 7: and so long as the treadle is held down the engagement of the driving mechanism will be maintained.

In the operation of the machine described herein, the mandrels are supplied by an attendant to the carrier at the rear of the machine, being placed one by one in the forks of the chains at about the point indicated by the first mandrel at the right in Fig. 5. Motion being imparted to the carrier in the manner described, the mandrels are carried forward and around the sprocket-wheels at the front of the machine, being held in the forks as they pass below the sprocket-wheel by the rails 73 b, which furnish a rigid and unyielding support for the mandrels during the operation of winding the sheet of material thereon and the subsequent smoothing and compacting of the newly-formed tubes on the mandrels. The mandrels are finally released, with the tubes thereon, at the rear of the machine, whence theymay be removed and taken away to have the tubes drawn off and finished, or may be returned again to the machine to have other layers of material, either of rubber or of the prepared fabric wrapped over the layer or layers already on the mandrel. As each mandrel is brought to a position in the same vertical plane with the axis of the drum G it is then in readiness to receive upon it the sheet of material which has been previously laid by an attendant upon the surface of the drum. At this moment the spindles E and E are moved longitudinally by their actuating-cams into en gagement with the mandrel, which is then in alig ment therewith. The spindle E being positively rotated and being adapted to engage IIO positively with the corresponding end of the mandrel immediately causes the mandrel to rotate and to wind thereon the aforesaid'sheet of material. The spindle E also engages the corresponding end of the mandrel to support it and to hold it in true position with respect to the surface of the drum. By its movement in its bearing the short shaft 6 which supports the spindle E also establishes connection between the interior of the hollow mandrel and the exhaust-fan or other means employed for produein g a partial. vacuum within the mandrel. As the perforations through the wall of the mandrel are small and are distributed over the surface, the forward or leading edge of the sheet of material will be picked up by the mandrel and held thereon by atmospheric pressure with suffi-' eient firmness to prevent slipping and to prevent the sheet from curling or stripping off as the mandrel rotates. In winding subsequent layers upon the first, the nature of the material will cause it to cling with sufficient closeness to the first layer, the possibility of rotation of the mandrel within the first layer being prevented by the suction exerted upon such first layer through the holes in the mandrel. As already described, the drum G is held firmly against the rotating mandrel by the counterweights and is permitted to yield to accommodate itself to the increasing thick ness of the material upon the mandrel. It will be understood that the driving mechanism for the mandrel-carrier is so arranged that the carrier remains stationary during the rotation of each mandrel in succession, and that the advance movement of the carrier takes place when the rotation has been completed. After the mandrel has received its wrapping, or while the wrapping is being wound on the mandrel, it is subjected to the action of the smoothing and compacting devices. As has been described already, the smoothin g-rollers are raised to release the mandrel which has already been in position and to permit the next mandrel to be brought into position without bringing it or its wrapping into contact with the edges of the smoothing-rollers. 'When the advancing mandrel has been brought to rest and has been rotated far enough to bring the front edge of the first layer of material thereon beneath the smoothing-rollers, the frame carrying the smoothing-rollers is tilted to move the rollers toward the mandrel and to cause them to bear upon the newly-formed tube thereon. As the tilt ing of the frame is effected by shifting one of the tracks upon which it moved, it is possi ble to provide without difficulty and without complication of parts for the continuous reciprocation of the frame and rollers. Before the carrier makes another movement the frame will be shifted to lift the smoothingrollers from the mandrel just subjected to their action and permit it to be moved forward without interference. The further movements of the carrier bring the mandrels to the point where the rails If b are inclined downwardly, at which point the mandrels will be released one by one from the forks of the carrier.

It will be obvious that the details of construction and the general arrangement of the machine may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention disclosed herein. So far as is known to me, the manufacture of tubes of the character referred to has been conducted heretofore mainly by hand, and it has not been possible to manufacture such tubes rapidly and economically by mechanism which requires, as does that described herein, only to have the mandrels and the sheets of material of which tubes are to be formed supplied to it either by hand or by any other mechanism adapted for the purpose. Therefore it is not intended by anything shown and described herein to limit the invention to any particular construction or arrangement, except as may be pointed out in the claims.

hat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with a rotating shaft and devices to feed and rotatably support a mandrel, of means to couple the mandrel and the shaft as the mandrel is brought into position with relation to the shaft.

2. The combination with a carrier adapted to receive and rotatably support a mandrel, of a rotating shaft and means to move the shaft longitudinally into engagement with the mandrel as the latter is brought into line therewith.

3. The combination with a carrier adapted to receive and rotatably support a mandrel, of a rotating and longitudinally movable shaft, and a cam and intermediate connections whereby said shaft is moved into engagement with the mandrel as the latter is brought into line therewith.

at. The combination with a support for a mandrel, of a drum mounted in proximity to said support, movable bearings in which said drum is mounted and which permit it to move toward or from the support, shafts mounted in fixed bearings, one at each end of said drum, and a universal coupling between each end of the drum and the corresponding shaft, whereby the drum may be driven positively and be permitted to move toward or from the support for the mandrel. v

5. The combination with a carrier adapted to receive and support a mandrel, and means for imparting a step by step movement to said carrier of rollers adapted to press upon said mandrel as it is brought into proximity thereto, and means to reciprocate said rollers longitudinally with respect to the mandrel.

6. The combination with a carrier adapted to receive and support a'mandrel, of an overbalanced frame adapted to reciprocate longitudinally with respect to the mandrel and having rollers to bear upon the mandrel, and means to tilt said frame to cause the rollers to press upon the mandrel.

'7. The combination with a carrier composed of endless chains adapted to receive and transport mandrels, and means to advance said carrier step by step, of a frame having rollers to bear upon the mandrel in proximity thereto, and means to reciprocate said frame longitudinally with respect to the mandrel.

8. The combination with a carrier composed of endless chains adapted to receive and transport mandrels, of rails mounted in proximity to said carrier and transverse with respect to the direction of movement thereof, a frame mounted to reciprocate on said rails and having rollers to bear on the mandrel in proximity thereto, and means to reciprocate said frame.

9. The combination with a carrier adapted to receive and transport mandrels, of a fixed rail mounted in proximity to said carrier, at second rail parallel with the first and mounted to be movable toward or from said carrier, a frame mounted to reciprocate on said rails and having rollers to bear upon the mandrel in proximity thereto, and means to shift said movable rail to cause said rollers to bear upon the mandrel or to be moved therefrom.

10. The combination with means to support a mandrel, of a fixed rail and a movable rail,

a frame mounted to reciprocate on said rails, and having rollers to bear upon the mandrel, rods supporting said movable rail and a cambar and means to shift the same, to cause the cam-bar to shift said movable rail, whereby the rollers are moved toward or from the mandrel.

11. The combination with a carrier adapted to receive and transport mandrels, of a fixed rail and a movable rail in proximity to said carrier, an over-balanced frame mounted. to reciprocate on said rails, and having rollers to bear upon the mandrel in proximity thereto, and means to shift said movable rail to offset the preponderance of the frame and to cause the same to tilt upon the fixed rail as a fulcrum.

12. The combination with a tubular inandrel, a driving spindle therefor at one end, and a centering spindle having a longitudinal bore, and connections from said bore whereby a partial vacuum may be produced in said mandrel.

This specification signed and witnessed this 19th day of April, A. D. 1805.

JOHN C. STEVEJS.

In presence of N. O. POND, XV. ll. GRAVES. 

